


Do You Really Know Your Cat?

by turianjournalist16



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Friendship, Gen, this is kinda dumb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:48:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27501046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turianjournalist16/pseuds/turianjournalist16
Summary: Sometimes, the kick in the butt someone needs comes from the least likely person in the room.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 10





	Do You Really Know Your Cat?

Aidaril watched as his cat, Ji’nara, swatted at the open flap on his bag. She seemed happy, a little strange, but happy. A little normal house cat to keep him grounded after his life went to shambles. He guessed the bar was incredibly low after he’d found her in a cage on the ship that had smuggled him out of the Summerset Isles. Ji’nara successfully closed his backpack and moved onto playing with one of his spell books. The captain of the ship had said they were just going to kill her. She didn’t get along with the ship’s mouser. He’d offered to take her off their hands once he was in Skyrim and they’d agreed for an extra a hundred gold. As if he hadn’t already paid them two thousand to get him out. It was worth it though. He could tell Ji’nara anything. 

Ji’nara stretched, now bored of the book. He watched as she sauntered towards him, the jewels on her collar glistening in the firelight. She had been getting restless lately. When they’d first arrived in Dawnstar, Aidaril got a job working in the mines. It wasn’t great. He hurt all the time and the foreman from the mine across town constantly argued with his own about...who’s mine was better. And he thought his own people were bad about proving who was superior over who. He was at least making money and he was out of sight from the Thalmor. It was an existence he’d gotten used to. One that he could see himself doing for a few more years until something better came along or perhaps he married someone who wanted him to help in a shop or something. As much as he wanted to see the hidden places of Skyrim, he guessed this was the safest thing. 

Outside his door, he could hear the loud laughter from the people staying at the Inn. The bard sang her songs and played her drum. A hunter was loudly talking about how he’d seen the Shrine of Azura. They wouldn’t be sleeping for a while. He went back to reading his book,  _ An Adventurer’s Guide to Skyrim.  _ Nothing wrong with laying in bed and reading about adventure. Originally, he had chosen Skyrim because of what he’d read and what people had said about the snowy province. It was a good place to disappear. He’d kept his old armor and sword in a trunk at the end of his bed for when he could comfortably leave Dawnstar for the rest of the province. Then he heard the Thalmor were cracking down here because of the rebellion. It wasn’t safe. The only thing short of being found out that could get him to leave now was his cat suddenly talking and telling him he needed to. 

Ji’nara glared at the door, then at him. 

“We have been in Skyrim for three months, why do you waste away in a mine?” 

Aidaril dropped the book on his face. Quickly recovering, he scanned the room for any sign of someone being invisible or in the shadows. Nothing. Only him and Ji’nara. Had he dozed off for a moment? Was the snow finally getting to him? The voice had sounded like a Khajiit’s but, as far as he knew, they weren’t allowed in cities here. And they said high elves were bigots. He hoped he wasn’t finally losing his mind. That last thing anyone needed was him finally snapping. Himself included. 

Shaking his head, he picked up his book again. Ji’nara jumped on him. “Why do you torture yourself? Just get off your ass. This one grows annoyed in this snowy spot.”

It took a moment. A long moment where he just stared at Ji’nara who was staring him down with her bright yellow eyes. Then it hit him. He panicked, trying to scramble up but also not wanting to drop her on the floor. A talking cat? There were rumors about Khajiit born under a certain phase of the twin moons. Ones who looked like regular house cats but were extremely powerful magic users. He’d almost been assigned to Elsweyr. They were allies of the Dominion, though he always knew it was just a means to an end rather than a true partnership. Did the Dominion know the rumors were true? Was he being tricked by a daedra? What if they asked him to go on some type of quest? Brave the wilds of Skyrim? 

No. No. He wasn’t that person. He  _ couldn’t be  _ that person if he didn’t want to be found. This was where he needed to be. He had to tell himself that. However, not figuring out what he was dealing with would be extremely irresponsible. If a daedra possessed his cat, he owed it to the cat to save it. If Ji’nara was a Khajiit...Divines, he might have participated in the slave trade. That made him feel ill. 

The best he could manage was being awkwardly propped up on his elbows. “You—your—“ 

“Khajiit. Ji’nara thought someone as smart as you would have figured it out by now. You must be dumber than you look. That would explain why you toil away underground when you could be doing...literally anything else.” 

He blinked, feeling a sense of indignation rise up. “Dumb? I’ll have you know that I am protecting myself. If you don’t like it, why did you stay? To take advantage of me?” 

“You did give this one good food and books,” Ji’nara said. “Ji’nara stayed because you rescued Ji’nara, now this one rescues you.” 

He felt his cheeks grow hot. The novelty of the talking cat had worn off as quickly as his training had taught him to shrug the strangeness of the world off. Ji’nara let out a yelp as he picked her up and put her on the floor. Then he himself stood up, running his hand through his hair as if to help his brain sort through it all. He didn’t need rescuing. Everything he’d done since he’d left was to protect himself and now he was in an okay place. He wasn’t dumb. He was smart enough to figure out what the Thalmor wanted was impossible. He was smart enough to escape. There had been that whole fiasco involving an imperial, two mudcrabs, and a bottle of mead, but anyone would have mucked that up. Ji’nara, who he’d spilled his guts to, kept the fact that she was a person away from him. Now she had the audacity to say he needed rescuing? Yes, this wasn’t what he imagined his life to be, but he was  _ safe _ . 

“I don’t need rescuing.” 

Ji’nara licked her paw. “You’re bored. Your magicka is going to waste away. This is how potential heroes become drunks and Ji’nara will not stand to watch her friend become a drunk.” 

“I am...you are...” He buried his face in his hands. 

The truth was...it was getting harder. Harder and harder to move on with his life. The mine, at least, was monotonous and boring, but he could imagine himself doing anything else. Being anyone else. It was a trade off. If he actually did what he wanted then the Thalmor could find him and...he’d heard what they did to dissenters. Now, he was being called out by a cat. That was wrong. He was being called out by a Khajiit who happened to look like a house cat. This must be a sign from a Divine, though he couldn’t exactly figure out who. 

He felt Ji’nara swat at his legs. “Enough! Since this one has been forced to wait here while you mope and get,” the Khajiit shuddered, “pet by the children, you owe Ji’nara.” 

“Owe you? I’ve been paying for this room and for food!” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You owe me at least two hundred gold.”

Ji’nara laughed. “Help Ji’nara again and you will earn gold.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking over at the chest next to his bed. “What did you have in mind?” 

“Ji’nara was studying the ancient dwarves, but books only get one so far. If you help delve into the ruins with me, who knows what we might find.” 

Adventure. He walked over to his chest. Kneeling, he carefully undid the clasps and opened it. His armor still looked decent. Carefully, he reached in and pulled out the golden sheath containing his sword. The weight on it wasn’t as clunky as the pickaxe. Could he leave? Skyrim could leave him anonymous, but any amount of notoriety could lead to someone tracking him down. He did miss it. Feeling like what he was doing was worth something more than putting septims into someone else’s pocket. The Dominion had promised him that, once. Could he trust the Khajiit? She’d been lying to him, but she had also been his companion. His head was beginning to hurt. 

He stood up, unsheathing his sword. The glass blade sparkled in the lantern light as he gave it a few swings. It felt right. “Fine. One ruin, but only because you listened to all my problems for the past few months.” 

“And the children pet this one.” 

He sighed. “And the children pet you.” 

“Excellent, Ji’nara has already packed and prepared tales of woe for you to listen to.” 

He didn’t even question it anymore. Well, he did say nothing short of his cat talking would get him to leave. Let’s just hope he didn’t wake up to some creature returning from extinction or something later. He didn’t need any more surprises. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!   
> I would like to give a special thanks to Evilwriter37 for sending me the post about this particular kind of Khajiit on tumblr and then encouraging me to write it! Check out their stuff!!


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